Grab your popcorn, put your feet up on the coffee table, and try to keep the spitballs off the screen please. This is Late Late Night FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. What’s on your mind?

Rep. Giffords Moved to Houston Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been moved from the Tucson, Ariz., hospital where she has been treated since Jan. 8 to a Houston facility for rehabilitation and continued recovery. —JCL CNN: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Friday left the Tucson, Arizona, hospital where she has been treated since a January 8 gunshot wound, traveling under police escort down streets lined with well-wishers. She then boarded an aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for a flight to Houston, where she is expected to continue her recovery. Although previous reports had indicated she would move directly to a rehabilitation facility affiliated with Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, she will instead be taken to the hospital’s trauma center for evaluation and treatment, said Dr. Dong Kim, a neurosurgeon at the hospital. Read more

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has been moved from the Tucson, Ariz., hospital where she has been treated since Jan. 8 to a Houston facility for rehabilitation and continued recovery. —JCL

CNN:

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Friday left the Tucson, Arizona, hospital where she has been treated since a January 8 gunshot wound, traveling under police escort down streets lined with well-wishers.

She then boarded an aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for a flight to Houston, where she is expected to continue her recovery.

Although previous reports had indicated she would move directly to a rehabilitation facility affiliated with Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, she will instead be taken to the hospital’s trauma center for evaluation and treatment, said Dr. Dong Kim, a neurosurgeon at the hospital.

Related Entries

‘Left, Right & Center’: Obama’s All Business The first order of business for the 112th Congress was its vote to repeal the health care law—is that good policy? Also, President Obama courts the business community and welcomes his Chinese counterpart—and the “Left, Right & Center” …

The first order of business for the 112th Congress was its vote to repeal the health care law—is that good policy? Also, President Obama courts the business community and welcomes his Chinese counterpart—and the “Left, Right & Center” …

Beck Insists That Your Gut Is God’s “Early Warning System”

BECK: Tonight, we have a very special edition of THE GLENN BECK PROGRAM. I want to you join me in the war room which is actually our regular set. We just lit it differently.

But we’re going to play out some of the worst case scenarios with some of the greatest minds around, asking ourselves one simple question: What if? Everybody always says, “Gee, you know, we’ve got to bail out these banks because it will be really bad if we don’t.” Well, what does it mean “really bad”?

And tonight, we’re going to think it out with the help of former CIA agents, some of the best money people around, military analysts, survival experts. We’re going to try to show you how to prepare for the worst while everybody else is sitting back and hoping for the best. And I want you to know — everybody involved in this show is also hoping for the best.

We’re not doing this show to scare you tonight. Quite honestly, I’ll explain at the end of the show exactly why, but I’m doing it in a nutshell to get you to start thinking outside of the box.

[…]

BECK: If you believe this country was founded on divine providence like our founders did, you believe that freedom was important enough that God got personally involved. That’s why this country was set up in a very specific way. Our rights and our liberties – they come to us from God, and then we lend them for protection to the government.

But if you believe in those ideals, it would make sense, at least to me, that God would give us some sort of an early warning system. You know, that is your gut. I think that most Americans are saying, “Gosh, something doesn’t seem right.”

Don’t dismiss that. That is a warning system. Will all of these or any of these scenarios happen? I don’t know. I hope not.

But what I do know is what we did here tonight isn’t crazy and you’re not crazy to ponder them. As I told you at the beginning of the show, two administrations met last month to war game about a set of coordinated IED attacks. Our government thinks it needs to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Why would it be crazy for you to want to do the same thing? You have not only have a right to prepare yourselves mentally and physically, you have a responsibility.

We’re entering a time where you need to listen to your gut. You need to ask reasonable questions, honest questions, and calmly and logically prepare yourself for the worst. And when it doesn’t happen, everything else is gravy. The future isn’t written yet, but we need to be ready. You begin writing it right now. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/20/09, accessed via Nexis]

Beck Routinely Buttresses His Arguments With Admonitions To “Listen To Your Gut”

BECK: A potentially major scandal is unfolding after someone released thousands of E-mails and documents sent between prominent scientists of global warming debate. The “New York Times” has verified that these E- mails are legitimate, which isn’t too hard because some of them were written by and to one of their reporters. More on that here in just a second.

[…]

BECK: If your gut said, “Wait a minute, this global warming thing – it sounds like a scam.” Well, I think you’re seeing it now. We told you this was going on without proof, because we listened to our gut. You’d never believe me, but once again, here we are with yet another brand-new reality. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 11/23/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

BECK: Hey! Remember — remember one thing, will you? Something that the media just doesn’t see — the president admitted in an interview, that what was it he said, the energy prices would necessarily skyrocket. Well, there he is — under my (INAUDIBLE).

People would be forced to consume less, thus saving the environment. Oh, no, the fishes are dying. Despite all of that, despite him saying his policies would necessarily — show the tape again — would make necessarily skyrocketing energy prices, not one of the December 2010 stories on the networks mentioning gas prices questioned the role of Obama’s White House. He literally said right here on tape — show it again — on that tape, his energy plan will cause energy prices to necessarily skyrocket. And no one is questioning him on all of the things that he’s doing to accomplish that goal.

I will show you the real reason why our gas prices are skyrocketing. And ask you: are you going to listen to your gut or the experts? Next.

BECK: Why are you paying $3.07 at the gas pump and nobody is asking anybody in Washington any questions? It has been months after the drilling moratorium was lifted, and there’s no drilling. Why? Do you even know that?

I’m telling you, oil companies, you better get your courage and — what was it Lady Macbeth said, “Screw it to the sticking place.” Stand up, brother — because Mr. Macbeth is coming with a knife for you.

Why has the drilling not started again? Two words: Cass Sunstein. Two more: red tape.

And the EPA is adding even more restrictive regulations on power plant and oil refineries, which in turn will make — play the stupid video again. Here he is again.

Here’s another reason. Price of gas is pegged to the dollar. Actually, price of oil is pegged to the dollar. What are we doing to the dollar? Devaluing it by printing and digitizing billions and billions of dollars to pay the debt. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 1/6/11, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck: Your Gut Knows We “Can’t Spend This Money” On Stimulus. From the March 5, 2009 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:

BECK: With all that in mind, let’s look at the latest, the “Wall Street Journal” survey of economists. Now, remember, this is free advice. About 90 percent of all of the economists said the recession would be over by the end of this year. Really? One hundred percent of all of the economists said the recession will be over by the end of next year. Definitely — 100 percent, not one dissenter. The science is settled.

Sounds like great news, right? I mean, you know, until you consider their track record. In February, 2007, this group of soothe-sayers predicted a 22 percent chance of a recession. Wow. It turns they were 100 percent wrong.

In February 2008, this was when the recession was three months old, but the average guess from the economist was — oh, it’s about a 48.9 percent chance that we’ll see a recession. October 2008, the recession now was almost a full-year-old, and they still — they still can’t see it. They up their prediction to 89.3 percent. Yes, probably not.

The lesson here should be obvious. You need to ignore advice from these boobs, OK? Anybody who’s offering it for free — oh, wait a minute, I am, too. I don’t know whom to listen now!

Why is anyone still asking these people for their opinion? Why are we basing this survival package with Barack Obama on what they say? Why do we care about what a group of random economists or government cheerleaders have to say?

Most importantly, I’ve told you before — please listen to your gut, not these experts. You’re just as much of an expert, really. Would this be happening in your house? You know, no, you know from the beginning we can’t spend this money. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 3/5/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

BECK: Be wary of anybody who says, “Leave your stock — your money in the stock market. Really, it’s going to go up from here. Now is a good time to buy.” They’re proving themselves incapable of seeing a real worst-case scenario, like the government.

The worst-case scenario on the government is that the GDP will shrink by 3.3 percent this year and then 0.5 percent gain in the next year. Really? Isn’t that kind of like saying the worst-case scenario of me eating five McGriddles a day is that I might gain a pound or two? I don’t think so! I think, genius, the worst-case scenario would be a fatal heart attack, but maybe it’s just me, you know, the self-educated boob TV.

Ask yourself this question, ask your gut: Do you really believe that this is the bottom? You look at that number, and you’re like, “Oh, yes, that’s it; oh, it’s not going to get any worse than this.” My gut tells we are much closer to the beginning of this cycle and nobody knows where the bottom is. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 3/2/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck: Your Gut Knows “Something Is Wrong” With Obama. From the November 11, 2009 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:

BECK: Barack Obama meandered around the before addressing the Islamic terrorist slaughter of our men and women in uniform on a military base right here at home in Texas. Thirteen people with murdered by a homegrown terrorist who was shouting “Allahu Akbar!” How does the president react to that?

Now, he tells us, don’t jump to any conclusions. Well, that — you know what? Actually, that’s good advice. Maybe the president should follow his own advice. Do you remember this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: The police acted stupidly, but don’t you dare jump to the conclusion that this guy is an extremist. He may have, you know, been picked last on the playground as a kid. We don’t know.

Your gut says something is wrong. I think we have a president that is stuck in perpetual campaign mode. Maybe – maybe, that’s the best way to look at this. This is a chance to lead the country to heal in a time of shock and horror. People watched and – what is going on?

To rally Americans – and that’s what we do best, really, help, pray, unite, move forward, better than we were before. But instead, we get a shout-out and a case for redistribution of wealth. Really?

Let me ask you this. What do you think people would say if Ronald Reagan would have spoken about lower taxes before he gave the challenger speech? How about George W. Bush, if you grab that bullhorn and said, “By the way, first, let me save social security reform. And then, by the way, the other people that did this are going to hear from us real soon.”

Beck: Your Gut Knows We’re Not “Headed In The Right Direction.” From the August 25, 2010 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:

BECK: Now, let’s talk about Vice President Joe Biden, came out yesterday talking about how great the stimulus has been yada, yada, yada. I want you to listen to what the vice president said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are turning this great ship of state around, that was wandering out to sea and it’s heading back to port. Now, look — now, it’s not happening as fast as any of us would like, and certainly not fast enough for the millions of folks who are still out of work. But there isn’t any doubt we’re moving in the right direction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: There is no doubt that we are moving in the right — there is no doubt.

OK. We’re headed on the right track and there’s no doubt. I — you know what? Can I tell you something? I kind of disagree with that, and that may be the understatement of the century.

What do you think, America? You don’t need an expert. What do you think? What does your gut tell you? Are we headed in the right direction?

I want you to look at the track records — Joe Biden and me. Try to focus, you know, not on the hair plugs. Who’s been more accurate? I don’t think you need my opinion or Joe Biden’s opinion. You can just read the newspaper. They still print them, believe it or not. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 8/25/10, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck: Your Gut Knows “Something Is Not Right” With Progressives. On the September 30, 2010 edition of his Fox News show, Beck discussed the “One Nation” rally — which promoting progressive causes – and stated:

BECK: I’ve been talking to you all week about the One Nation rally this Saturday.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are your members doing this because they have to or they want to?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My members are doing this for both reasons, they have to and they want to. They’re ready for a fight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: That should make you – it should wake you up a little bit, America. Maybe drive you to your knees. I want you to watch because the sting is not happening yet, but the con is really winding up.

This weekend is important because, remember, you are the mark. If you are on the fence or you’re not really sure what is really happening in your country, you’d better pick up the pace.

But start with listening to your gut. You know something is not right. If you already know that you’re being set up and you are going to be shoved into some an anti-colonialist, Marxist or global governance system – I don’t know what it’s going to like in the end – you need to wake others up. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 9/30/10, accessed via Nexis]

BECK: I don’t hate the government. I don’t even hate the people. You know, in 1776, they fired bullets. The tea party — they don’t need bullets. They just want to fire politicians. That’s what they want to do — fire politicians, not bullets.

This is an attempt to silence. You know what this is? This is an attempt to do this — 10 percent, 10-80-10.

Eighty percent just waits for somebody to say, I don’t know, tell me what to do. And they look for somebody for authority to tell them where to go.

Ten percent leave the others to safety. They make the right choice.

You have to figure out what category you’re in.

Bill Clinton was being used, I believe, by this 10 percent that’s taking you in a different direction — that is trying to teach you that the tea party rally, that these are not average families, that they’re the radicals. He’s in this 10 percent going to the 80 percent. He’s not going to you and me. He’s going to the 80 percent, saying, “No, no, you can trust me, you know me. You can trust me.”

You may not know me. I don’t ask you to take my word for it. I ask you to use your brain. I ask you to use your gut. The tea party goers, you may disagree with them, but they’re not Timothy McVeigh. Timothy McVeigh was an American monster. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 4/19/10, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

BECK: All Americans, I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat, you know something in your gut that something is very, very wrong and that we’re being pushed by the fringes, left and right. But the economy — no matter what anyone tells you, our problems have just begun.

Now, there is hope, because I’m passionate about American history and making sure that you teach it — you know it and you teach it. This is a nation who has not been taught their own history. [Fox News’ Glenn Beck, 3/2/10, accessed via Nexis]

BECK: This plan was drafted in federal prison back in 2006. It is a plan that with the health care part of it will cost over $1 trillion plus. But somehow or another, it’s free. It adds 40 million patients but it won’t ration care. It cuts Medicare benefits but no elderly suffer. It adds fees, taxes and bureaucracy yet nobody seems to pay.

If you believe that, you’ll believe then that we’ve saved or created 200, what is it, 200 million jobs this week alone, and that the temperature on the earth is so hot right now that it’s cold, and that the Atlantic Ocean is boiling, and despite the fact that we didn’t have one this year, hurricanes are more powerful, intense, and frequent then ever before. Don’t think about any of this. No, just act, act, act right now!

You know what? It doesn’t make sense if you stop and think. It only makes sense to people who will tell you to fly to the other side of the earth for medical care, but then in the same breath tell people you got to stop flying because the earth has a temperature. Explain it.

The same people who think that terrorists should be understood and tried in New York courtrooms, but Marines should be tried by the military. That terrorists who mutilate, burn bodies and hang them from bridges should be believed over our Navy SEAL, or that you can print all the money you want because hyperinflation would be good.

I mean, we can pay off the debt that way and everybody would have more money in their pockets. We have to keep spending our way out of this debt. Don’t think. Just do it right now. Don’t think!

The only thing that it seems this administration and these people in Washington now want to hold off on, sit, think, mull it over, be careful, chew on it a bit, let me stew, simmer, settle on this — the only thing is getting help to our troops in Afghanistan. Listen to your gut, America. Something is very wrong. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 12/9/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck: Your Gut Knows You Should Be Scared By Videos Of Children Singing About Obama During Black History Celebrations. From the September 24, 2009 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:

CHILDREN (chanting): Hello, Mr. President. We honor you today. For all your great accomplishments, we all doth say “hooray!”

Hooray, Mr. President! You’re number one. The first black American to lead this great nation. Hooray, Mr. President we honor your great plans to make this country’s economy number one again.

BECK: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic!” Stop, stop, stop! That’s “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Now, the superintendent of schools, Christopher Manno, appears to be standing behind this. He wrote a letter a letter to parents that says, quote, “The activity that took place during Black History Month 2009, which is recognized each February to honor the contributions of African-Americans to our country.”

That’s all you can think to say about this, really? I mean, how about, “Wow, that was creepy. We should fire somebody”? Maybe it’s just me, huh?

[…]

You know, there is a great book that I read years ago. It’s called “The Gift of Fear.”

The first chapter is how we’re all given the gift of fear. And they talk about how it’s important not to dismiss that fear. And they talk about dogs and how everybody – you know, there is an incident and somebody, you know – some neighbors rob them and whatever. And the person always says, “You know what, my dog – I should have been listening to my dog, you know. He was yip, yip, yip and barking every time he came over. He just hated it.”

Like the dog has some super extra sense that you don’t have. You know what it is? It is not that the dog has some special power of seeing bad guys – I swear to you. My dog – I should have listened to my dog.

No, you shouldn’t have listened to your dog. You should have listened to your gut. Your dog is missing something that you have, and that the second guess, “No, no, he can’t be a bad guy. No, that can’t be. No, that’s not -“

Listen to your gut. It was a gift, the gift of fear. Right now, your dog would be watching that video going, “Yip, yip, yip!” I’m telling you, listen to the gift of fear. It’s there for a reason. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 9/24/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

BECK: When narco terrorists run the country holding gun battles in the streets, it isn’t going to be good for your kids. You haven’t heard this story, because this was pushed through during the height of the swine flu epidemic, and I just must say, congratulations, Mexico. You are learning great things from the Obama administration. Only Mexico would decriminalize drugs in the middle of a drug war and an emergency.

Only – no, I’m sorry. I take that back. Congressman Barney Frank and cosponsor, Ron Paul, have introduced a bill that would decriminalize marijuana on a federal level. The act to remove federal penalties for personal use of marijuana by responsible adults would remove all penalties for those processing less than 100 grams.

Now, quite frankly, as a libertarian, I understand why a libertarian wants less government. But I’m having a hard time getting my arms around that Barney Frank thing, you know. I mean, he wants massive government everywhere else, but less government and state rights when it comes to drugs. That’s your hot list.

You know, we have to start listening to our own gut, and we have to start listening to common sense. It’s called “common sense” for a reason. We all got it, but we aren’t doing it anymore. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 6/22/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

BECK: Common sense is the reason we’re not sending troops to close the border, although it would make us feel real good, you know, keep out that swine — sorry. Keep out that evil or maybe not so evil H1N1 A flu, or whatever it is. It’s the pig flu!

What’s the point of sending the troops down there and blocking off the border? It’s already here. It would be a waste of resources.

Man is not going to conquer this virus. We only can manage it as best we can and hunker down while it burns itself out.

The same thing with common sense if we would apply it to the economy. The economy is sick and has a temperature. It has a virus. It needs to run its course.

Some of our weakest companies are infected. Some of them who are in critical condition are going to die no matter what kind of government antibiotic they keep pumping in to keep them alive. Instead of letting them fail, we’re trying all sorts of experimental techniques that everybody is looking at, and the whole family is, like — pull the plug, Jack. Now, we’re all in danger.

Believe it or not, I know it’s hard to believe from this crazy rant, but I do have hope. I mean, I really do. You know why? Because I believe in people. I believe in entrepreneurs.

This is just deeper than most people are willing to admit, at least on this side of the camera. On your side — sanity rules. On this side — not so much.

Now is not the time to keep listening to the so-called experts, who, by the way, missed the whole thing coming. It’s time to start listening to yourself and your gut. Bailouts and spending can’t save us from spending, but common sense can. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 4/30/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck: Your Gut Knows Obama’s Plan To Limit Tax Deducations For The Rich Is A Bad Idea. From the March 3, 2009 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:

BECK: The media covers lots of stories but I don’t think they put the pieces of them together. I mean, it does – never ever know what anything means. All of the news is connected. It fits together – it fits together like a puzzle. And I will show you tonight what it means.

Put the first puzzle piece together. President Obama has dedicated $155 million to 126 community health centers. Next piece, Tom Coburn and the others are prepared to go to jail if the government repeals the conscious clause, which it’s considering doing. This involves protection for federally-funded healthcare providers who object to procedures like abortion on moral grounds.

Third piece, the government is moving to limit deductions from charitable giving from people who make under $250,000 a year. Charities are worried they’re going to make even less money this year without it, let alone with it.

It all adds up to government control, and that is what is really going on in our country. It’s not about the stimulus. It’s not about the bailout. It’s not about solving problems. It’s about controlling things.

[…]

BECK: America, listen to your gut on things. Does it make sense when the studies show that $4 billion – what is it? $4 billion are going to be lost. If this law was enacted in 2006, $4 billion in charitable donations would be lost. That’s from the center on philanthropy.

Does it sound right when Obama answers that charge and says, “Well, that’s why we put $100 million in the package.” It’s $4 billion at a time when our country needs charitable people and charity. Why would you do this? Your gut. Listen to your gut, America, please. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 3/3/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Beck: Your Gut Knows Everything Is Not “Fine.” From the February 19, 2009 edition of Fox News’ Glenn Beck:

BECK: Now, I have to tell you, I keep seeing that commercial and it’s hard. Giving you reason to believe in America again. Look — I believe in America like nobody’s business. I’m a small business owner myself and I have run a magazine and radio show and everything else. And I work with people who are from different walks of life.

Liz is my — editor of my magazine. She voted for Obama. She’s just — Liz is a liberal. She used to work on a goat farm. Every year with the bonus I give her, she buys a goat in my name just to piss me off. She came into my office today and we were talking about different things. And I said, “How do you feeling, Liz? How do you feeling about the country?”

It was a great refreshing conversation, because it wasn’t about politics at all. It wasn’t about the candidates. It wasn’t about anything. It was about the country. She teared up, and I did, too. She said, “Glenn, I am afraid. I fear for my country.”

Please, please, don’t dismiss your gut. Don’t listen to the people who say, “Oh, no, everything’s fine. Everything is going to be great.” It is up to you. You are the guardian of liberty. [Fox News, Glenn Beck, 2/19/09, accessed via Nexis, emphasis added]

Effort To ‘Modernize’ Miranda Looks Dead, But DOJ Wouldn’t Release New ‘Guidance’ Nine months after it was first floated by the Obama administration, a plan to “modernize” Miranda rights doesn’t seem to be going anywhere in the legislative branch. But Attorney General Eric Holder issued a guidance a few months ago that the Justice Department says sets no specific time limit on the so-called public safety exception.

Miami Police Officer On U.S. Marshals Task Force Killed In Shooting The two officers with the Metro Dade Police Department were serving on a U.S. Marshals Task Force in the area. A third task force officer has been taken to the hospital in stable condition, the law enforcement official said. The suspect in the shootings was shot and killed by police, the official said.

Comments Off on Effort To ‘Modernize’ Miranda Looks Dead, But DOJ Wouldn’t Release New ‘Guidance’Permalink

Republicans: “My way or the highway!” After writing a column speculating about a way to get some Conservative friends to listen to Mike Malloy’s radio program, one replied and said that he would offer me a wager about my effort to read Ayn Rand because he knew I hadn’t read any of her novels and he also offered the opinion that […]

Memories of Tunis I’m traveling in Vietnam, and so cannot cast any light on the extraordinary events in Tunisia, but thought some readers might be interested in this excerpt from a letter I just received from a student I taught there in 2006….

Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin Libels Steve Clemons Fred Hiatt, op-ed page editor of the Washington Post, has almost single-handedly destroyed what it took Katherine Graham decades to build. It is now a neocon mouthpiece, dedicated not to pursuing facts but to advancing an agenda. It helped get…

Third Toughts About Tuscon I’m not satisfied with public discussion of the Tuscon horror. Years ago, I learned from another such massacre, on the Long Island Railroad, that deranged loners like Jared Loughner may be tuned in more acutely than the rest of us…

For all the talk of a coming “showdown” over raising the national debt ceiling, there is widespread bipartisan agreement that Congress must do so in order to stave off worldwide financial collapse.

Earlier this month, leading Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) explained the dire importance of increasing the debt ceiling to CNN: “Let me tell you what’s involved if we don’t lift the debt ceiling: financial collapse and calamity throughout the world. That’s not lost upon me.” House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) agreed, stating “Will the debt ceiling be raised? Does it have to be raised? Yes.” These comments were echoed by conservative commentators, who called opposition to raising the debt ceiling “silly” (Bill Kristol) and “suicidal” (George Will).

In most situations, such broad consensus results in congenial agreement about how to move forward. In Congress, however, members rarely pass up an opportunity to hold legislation hostage until their parochial interests are satisfied. For instance, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) recently put a unilateral hold on President Obama’s budget director nominee until the administration’s deepwater drilling moratorium was lifted.

Now, many Republicans are using the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip to extract draconian spending cuts, including slashing Social Security and other safety net programs. Watch it:

One final point bears consideration. Brinksmanship is a highly-effective tactic in congressional negotiations, and one that Republicans have employed successfully in the past. (Exhibit A: the two-year extension of all the Bush tax cuts. Not only did Republicans claim they would hold up middle class tax cuts if the rich didn’t also receive a break, but they were able to convince everyone this threat was credible.)

However, on the debt ceiling issue, the GOP’s brinksmanship position of opposing an increase lacks credibility. Many Republicanleaders are fully admitting that the debt limit must be raised in order to stave off financial collapse. In doing so, they undercut the credibility of those Republicans who claim to oppose a debt ceiling increase unless they are given major spending cuts in return.

With a diminished GOP bargaining position, President Obama and congressional Democrats ought to stand firm. Matt Yglesias makes a similar point, arguing that “Barack Obama favors raising the debt ceiling. Key House Republicans such as Paul Ryan and John Boehner also favor raising the debt ceiling… [I]t would be foolish for Barack Obama to get sucked into any kind of negotiation over the debt limit.”

For-profit college group sues to block federal rules A group representing for-profit colleges sued the Education Department on Friday to try to block new federal rules relating to how the schools pay recruiters, how they represent themselves to prospective students and how states oversee their activities.

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The Hollywood Liberal started in 2004 at the height of the Bush Administration madness in America.
We were inspired by the late great Bartcop.com. The very first thing I did when the site started was to get arrested at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. My arrest at the start of a march from The World Trade Center was later ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. On New Years Eve 2014 the case was finally settled, with a judge awarding a class action suit that I was part of over $26 Million. I posted daily on the blog up until the end of The Bush error, and the site is now run as a history of the whole fiasco. Feel free to browse the old postings, pictures, & comics (an HL favorite) It reveals the twisted history of the times. Thanks H.L.